I N T E R C U LT U R A L R E L AT I O N S ◦ R E L A C J E M I Ę D Z Y K U LT U R O W E ◦ 2 0 1 7 ◦ 2 ( 2 )

Andrzej Sarnacki, S.J.1

THE DECAY OF AMERICAN CULTURE?

PITIRIM SOROKIN’S VIEW ON THE RELEVANCE
OF THE SEX REVOLUTION
Abstract

The undeniable shift in American culture over last decades, regarding the val-
ues and self-identity of its citizens, has been a  subject of extensive inquiries.
While there have been studies of many problematic developments, such as the
erosion of social capital or the rise of narcissism, not much attention has been
dedicated to the meta-perspective of the ongoing transformation and self-de-
structive mechanisms of modern social and cultural agendas. Pitirim Sorokin has
pointed out the importance of a dominant attitude towards sex, which virtually
predestines the future of a given society. Conservative in its outlook, his view is
worth taking into consideration, especially due to its references to the historical
data of past civilizations. This perspective is especially relevant for the modern
cultural and scientific paradigm, which regards contestation of sexual expansion
as unjustified and even illegitimate. Sorokin’s perspective on “sexual anarchy”
might prove to be a valid one in regard to Western civilization.
Key words: Pitirim Sorokin, sexual revolution, sexual anarchy, cultural decadence

In his bestselling book The Fifth Discipline, Peter Senge discusses the com-
mon tendency of the human brain to stay oblivious to incremental, super-
imposing changes, registering only those which are very visible and sud-
den.2 Many serious changes undergo a silent, unnoticeable phase for most
minds, before they reach a  point of abrupt explosion that becomes ob-
vious to all perceptions. Yet a  few are able to detect the looming shape
of the new land at its dawn and foresee the direction, and maybe the

1
 PhD; Jesuit University Ignatianum in Kraków; andrzej.sarnacki@ignatianum.edu.pl.
2
 P. Senge, The Fifth Discipline, New York 1994, p. 112.
106 Andrzej Sarnacki, S.J.

consequences of such change. To those observant and intuitive minds be-

longs that of Pitirim Sorokin, who in 1956 published a  book entitled The
American Sex Revolution, in which he predicted the vast cultural change
that was going to mark the 1960s and influence all aspects of life in the
following decades. The perspective of Sorokin is worth consideration, be-
cause it represents not just old-school moralising, but a scrutiny over a se-
rious social and cultural change before the epoch of the expansion of ideo-
logical arguments. This narrative is relatively sparce in its argumentation,
and could be better understood only against the sequel to sensate and
ideational culture, as presented in Sorokin’s magnum opus, namely Social
and Cultural Dynamics, published a year later.3
This article is not a presentation of Sorokin’s concept in full, but lim-
ited to his view on the meaning of a change in perception of the place of
sexuality in a society. His views will be presented in the context of other
shifts in American culture, already described as weakening social capital,
the rise of narcissism, secularization and cultural Marxism. These will be
presented only in a brief manner. Sorokin’s view on the sexual revolution
has already been presented in detail by Russell Nieli.4 Moreover, an evalu-
ation of his work, as well as a broader presentation of Sorokin’s concept of
sensate and ideational culture have been published in two other articles
I have written.5 The contribution this article aims to make, however, is to
present an analysis of Sorokin’s work, and to confirm, from a 60-year per-
spective, his intuition of the value of sexuality in our civilization. The nega-
tive aspects of this development seem to be overlooked in the scientific
world, as well as in general literature or media, although the civilization in
question has been showing signs of decadence.

 P. Sorokin, Social and Cultural Dynamics, Boston 1957.

3

 R. Nieli, “Critic of the Sensate Culture: Rediscovering the Genius of Pitirim So-
4

rokin”, Political Science Reviewer, vol. 35, no.1 (2006), pp. 264–379, https://isistatic.org/
journal-archive/pr/35_01/nieli.pdf.
5
 A. Sarnacki, Aktualność Piotra Skargi – o niebezpiecznych aspektach społeczno-kul-
turowych, w: M. Chrost, I. Nowakowska-Kempna, Rzecz o dziele Piotra Skargi SJ, Kraków
2012, pp. 245–256; and A. Sarnacki, „Peryferyjność monastycyzmu? Kameduli i cyklicz-
ność kultur Pitirima Sorokina”, Anthropos?, nr 25 (2016), pp. 30–43, http://www.anthro-
pos.us.edu.pl/texty/sarnacki.htm.
 THE DECAY OF AMERICAN CULTURE? PITIRIM SOROKIN’S VIEW . . . 107

CRITICAL ASSESSMENTS OF THE 20TH CENTURY SHIFT

Sorokin’s observation is also interesting from the perspective of contem-

porary prevalent narratives, with their axioms and dogmas that do not rec-
ognise any other evidence than those commonly accepted in the scientific
community and Western culture. The very absence of Sorokin’s thought in
modern discussion is caused by his unorthodox, and seemingly old-fash-
ioned precepts, which would oppose the mainstream school of thought.
Nevertheless, his critique of the shift in American traditional values and his
appeal against the self-destructive forces of modernised culture, are wor-
thy of cognizance, due to their original angle, which is empowered by the
metahistorical context of Sorokin’s analysis. Almost 60 years later, a care-
ful reader of this investigation will be left wondering whether a prophet or
an eccentric drifter of the scientific world drew these conclusions.
To begin with, there is no doubt that, during recent decades, American
culture has been undergoing a  momentous change. Formerly associated
with a dream of endless opportunities, society has been showing signs of
decadence. Pure faith in economic success and social promotion through
hard work, honesty and responsibility, has become weakened through too
many examples of corruption, political cynicism, or contrary standpoints.
Before turning to Sorokin’s analysis for the causes of the crisis, it is worth
mentioning other works that address the issue of problematic changes in
the USA. This is not an extensive and systematic list of authors, but rather
a few examples that illustrate a widespread sense of a cultural shift.
In his book published in 2000, Bowling Alone, the renowned American
sociologist Robert Putnam observes the decline of social capital, which is
based on trust and reciprocity. The strength of social capital depends on
the magnitude of mutual trust within a particular society, something that
makes people feel bonded, empowered, and happy. The observation of its
erosion first relates to the fact that many organisations, such as clubs, po-
litical groups or neighbourhood networks are no longer being continuously
revitalised by new members. For decades, the characteristic of American
social strength and ability of mobilization was referred to as an exuber-
ance of social activities, among them churches, garden clubs and bowling
leagues.6 Although the number of people bowling has increased over the

 R.D. Putnam, Bowling Alone. The Collapse and Revival of American Community,
6

New York 2000, p. 16.

108 Andrzej Sarnacki, S.J.

last 20 years, the number of leagues has declined. People bowl alone and
their individual leisure time is supported by the development of technol-
ogy. Although the growth of social media networks draws in millions of
people, its superficiality is causing more isolation.
As the sense of strong bonds at the community, organisation and insti-
tution level is the crucial quality of a dynamic society, which in return em-
powers it, society is able to manage the problems that need to be solved,
be they those related to poverty, marginalization, health care or security.
An active participation in different organisations teaches its members the
value of community, responsibility and leadership. It gives them a  sense
of a shared identity and teaches the value of reciprocity. It is reflected in
participation in political elections, an ability to cooperate, and the exten-
sion of social networks. Social capital in its bridging and bonding aspects,
promotes civic virtues, good organisation that starts at the local level, en-
gagement that eradicates the pestilence of incapacitation, brings a  sense
of community, and empowers the struggle against conformism. Even the
job-hunting process depends to a  great extent on one’s people-network.
Putnam detects a critical shift that has been in progress for the last five
decades. In the 1960s “America . . . was white, straight, Christian, comfort-
able, and (in the public square, at least), male.”7 At the turn of 20th century,
it became clear to every American that this golden age of vibrant com-
munities had dissolved into civic malaise and poor economic prospects.
Those who claimed that the average American has become less trustwor-
thy and less civic-minded, outnumbered those who claimed the opposite
(80% to 12%).8 A similar opinion surrounds the decline of moral values, the
widening of social polarization, the decay and erosion of civic participation
and the growth of social disengagement, when people have become dis-
connected from family, friends, neighbours and institutions.
Society is a  vast and polymorphous organism, difficult to define and
determine its course, which depends on many variables. Of course every
society and culture changes during the course of time, as does the type
of civic engagement, along with the growing trend of mobility and multi-
membership. Putnam carefully examines different aspects of social life,
taking into account political and civic participation, religious engagement,
connections in the workplace, informal modes of networking, involvement

 Ibid., p. 17.
7

 Ibid., p. 25.
8
 THE DECAY OF AMERICAN CULTURE? PITIRIM SOROKIN’S VIEW . . . 109

in volunteering organisations and philanthropy events, as well as the gen-

eral attitude of reciprocity, honesty and trust, only to notice that all sec-
tors of American traditional engagement have suffered from decay and
erosion.

For the first two-thirds of the twentieth century a powerful tide bore Ameri-
cans into ever deeper engagement in the life of their communities but a few
decades ago  – silently, without warning  – that tide reversed and we were
overtaken by a  treacherous rip current. Without at first noticing, we have
been pulled apart from one another and from our communities over the last
third of the century.9

The reasons for these afflictive changes Putnam describes are born out
of many complex factors. The first one is the breakdown of the traditional
family unit and loosening of family bonds, reflected in the rising rates of
divorce, single-parent families or single widows. Marriage and having chil-
dren usually translates into time spent in community organisations, mainly
church and youth related. The erosion of social capital, which results in
a general decline of social connectedness and trust, has also had an impact
on the further advancement of interracial separation. Global economic
transformation, epitomised by the removal of small shops and business by
big corporations and chain-stores, also add to the general social discon-
nection. Putnam also lists factors like pressures of time and money, sub-
urbanization and electronic entertainment including television, which are
partially responsible for the process. In his final remark Putnam underlines
the most important cause in generational change, namely the shift in gen-
erational succession, due to a declining demographic.10
Approaching this change from a  psychological perspective, Jean
Twenge and Keith Campbell point to the growing and over-present phe-
nomena of narcissism in American culture.11 The proliferation of an open
pursuit of personal fame and glamour could be understood as psycho-
cultural affliction that invades the mentality of parents and children alike.
Children treated as princes, kings, members of royalty, stars, geniuses,
the best, become inclined to indulgences and immediate reward. At the

9
 Ibid., p. 27.
10
 Ibid., pp. 277–284.
11
 J.M. Campbell, W.K. Twenge, The Narcissism Epidemic: Living in the Age of Entitle-
ment, New York 2009.
110 Andrzej Sarnacki, S.J.

same time, there are role reversals and a loss of parental authority, when
children became partners, and the argument of “because I  said so” has
become unthinkable. Then overprotecting mothers and “helicopter par-
enting” have became the model in the over-psychologised upbringing of
children, which often leaves the parents confused and acting irresponsibly.
Children are rewarded for everything, and in the contrary to the common
sense and adult world of market competition, they are daily reassured that
coming in last place is as good as coming in first. Self-centred people do
not gain just a confidence and high self-esteem, but become divorced from
reality by overconfidence, egotism and a  conviction of due entitlement.
A “winning-attitude” does not set boundaries of respect or discipline, but
encourages a futile quest for fame, and possibly a big circle of “friends” in
social media. Social networking is the perfect space for narcissistic people
broadcasting themselves and living their second life in a  virtual world of
self-creation.12

As the most superficial part of American culture, narcissistic values are conve­
niently carried around the world in pop music, movies, television, and, increas-
ingly, in the Internet. The media sources smoothly glamorize the narcissistic
ethos, showing its shiny surface of prosperity and self-glorification without the
down sides of alienation and social breakdown. . . . Narcissism is the fast food
of the soul. It tastes great in the short term, has negative, even dire, conse-
quences in the long run, and yet continues to have widespread appeal.13

Culture has become colonised by phantasmagorias of egoistic indi-

viduals obsessed with self-admiration, exhibitionism, an eternal youth fix-
ation, and a  drive to be special, unique and amazing. Such attitudes are
expressed in slogans of “believing in yourself”, “finding your own voice”,
“feeling good about yourself”, having “a  positive self-image”, etc. Initial-
ly well-intended against a  “not good enough” upbringing, as the need of
a healthy self-esteem and acknowledgment of fundamental equality, they
have become a  radical departure from the past, replacing the culture of
modesty and service to others. The growing concern regarding physical ap-
pearance and having a “hot look” have resulted in the popularity of plastic
surgery and modelling contests. Modern individuals seek attention at any

 Ibid., p. 109.
12

 Ibid., p. 259.
13
 THE DECAY OF AMERICAN CULTURE? PITIRIM SOROKIN’S VIEW . . . 111

price, paying homage to a semi-religious worship of celebrities surrounded

by a  crowd of paparazzi, propagated by enormous business of celebrity
gossip magazines and TV programs. It is also a religion of Santa Claus, a fig-
ure who is better than God: whereas God demands an effort to be good
and distinguishes between sinful and meritorious deeds, Santa takes all
people as good and worthy of receiving a gift. Even religious organisations
mirror this trend, by the growth of “prosperity Gospel” churches, focused
on self-admiration and God unconditionally inclining to one’s wishes.
The authors see direct impact on such attitudes in the social processes
of the 1960s, when individual rights and liberties gained a  historical mo-
mentum, while self-improvement became a  self-admiration. The drive of
the pleasure principle is a destructive behaviour that has short-term ben-
efits and long-term costs. In American culture the immunity to narcissism
has weakened, with a  growing encouragement to focus on own needs,
personal success, and a tolerance of arrogance.14 As a result they observe
the proliferation and upsurge of materialism, a  painful unacceptance
in the case of low-standard economic conditions, an obsessive focus on
ones needs, all of which at the end makes people less happy and more
depressed. At the same time, there has been a drastic increase of hostil-
ity and violence against both peers and “the other”. Cases of ridiculing,
aggressive language, cyber-bullying and assault have been on rise, both at
schools and at workplaces. The pressure of becoming famous, discovered
and rich has made an impact on millions of minds. Artificial relationships
and emotional emptiness, a sense of entitlement and inability to sacrifice
or do something without calculation, have caused a  drop in community
services and voluntary activities.15

The narcissism epidemic has already had serious consequences. First, there
has been a  giant transfer of time, attention, and resources from reality to
fantasy. Rather than pursuing the American dream, people are simply dream-
ing. Our wealth is phony, driven by credit and loose lending; this part of the
narcissistic dream has already been dashed. Second, narcissism has corroded
interpersonal relationships. There has been a switch from deep to shallow re-
lationships, a  destruction of social trust, and an increase of entitlement and
selfishness.16

14
 Ibid., pp. 37, 53–60, 128.
15
 Ibid., p. 176.
16
 Ibid., p. 276.
112 Andrzej Sarnacki, S.J.

These books and many other share a similar concern regarding a sub-
stantial change in American culture. There is no shortage of apocalyptic
prophesying that see the dissolution of traditional, hitherto indisputable
values, as the beginning of the end, as self-destructive mechanisms of
entrapped culture. A  perfect example could be James Burnham who al-
ready claimed in 1964 that liberalism would eventually lead Western soci­
ety to suicide.17 Under the baton of a  liberal economy, within the frame-
work of globalization, the traditional perception of hard work, as a certain
way of climbing the social ladder and children securing a  better future
than their parents, has been fading. The transfer of labour oversees has
changed the domestic labour market, shifting the labour force towards
services, at the same time diminishing their chances to achieve a standard
of living higher than the previous generation. The access of women to the
labour market and their growing significance as part of the labour force
adds another aspect to changes in traditionally understood roles.
Although America has withstood the forces of secularization, the diver-
sification of mostly Christian churches has converged to the economic dy-
namic, giving birth to a phenomenon of a “religious market”. The competi-
tion between denominations is regarded as a  source of spiritual vitality,
when at the same time “religious products” have become more and more
alike. This economic analogy has led to a thesis of a religious development
specific to the late stage of capitalism.18 In its zenith, the socialist school of
thought has become relevant as never before in American history.
There is a  growing awareness of a  political flavour and the influence
of cultural Marxism that tends to dominate cultures of values and ideas.
In its quest it promotes new assumptions claiming that people should be
loyal not to their countries or religions, but to the concept of internation-
al brotherhood. Antonio Gramsci in Prison Notebooks talks about a  long
march through institutions (arts, cinema, media, educational system, pa-
pers, etc.), in order to change the way of thinking about patriotism, na-
tion, religion, values, mentality, which is to change the culture from the
inside. The task is to remove the barriers of Christendom and Holy Scrip-
ture, especially with regards to religious communities, which hold them as

 J. Burnham, Suicide of the West: an Essay on the Meaning and Destiny of Liberal-
17

ism, New York 1964.

18
 L.R. Iannaccone, “The Consequences of Religious Market Structure”, Rationality
and Society, 3/2 (1991), pp. 156–177.
 THE DECAY OF AMERICAN CULTURE? PITIRIM SOROKIN’S VIEW . . . 113

a  source of support and a  reference of their identity. Consequently, it is

meant to dismantle the family unit, in order that people look for support
somewhere else. The concept of the alienation of old values and the crea-
tion of new ones is to be found in works of Georg Lukács, with the recur-
ring idea of a  drive towards collectivism, where everybody conforms to
a collective logic, even if it includes the use of coercion.19
These ideas have been realised by critical theory, which is understood
as systematic questioning of everything traditional and the deconstruction
of old convictions as relative, oppressive, or patriarchal. This went against
traditional morality that praised the self-restraint, hard work and puritan
mentality, as values of the middle class. Through endless repetition, all his-
tory became understood as a time of sexual repression and oppression. In
the era of the baby-boomers, change meant also a commercialization and
commodification of sexuality, which became a byproduct of the blending
of sexuality and the liberal market. Sexual education, free love, the irrel-
evance of religion, the outdatedness of monogamy and family as middle-
class, and the pervasiveness of permissiveness, became an important part
of the de-Christianization of the West.

SOROKIN’S VIEW ON THE SYMPTOMS

AND GRAVITY OF CURRENT CULTURAL CHANGE

Sorokin’s unique standpoint consists in drawing attention to the signifi-

cance of the sexual revolution in the 1960s, as the substantial aspect of
cultural and social change. Unlike the majority of later academics and com-
mentators, who acknowledge and glorify the central role of sex in social
emancipation, Sorokin in his critical analysis claims that the new sexual
paradigm endangers the very substance of society and is the sign of its
decadence.20 His analysis of social changes in all known historical civiliza-
tions brings him to conviction of the importance of the sexual factor in
the fate of a society. The perspective of his analysis does not refer to hu-
man rights or the idea of inevitable progress, as to the historical evidence

19
 G. Lukács, The Theory of the Novel, Cambridge, Massachusetts 1971 or History
and Class Consciousness. Studies in Marxist Dialectics, Cambridge, MA 1971.
20
 P. Sorokin, The American Sex Revolution, Boston 1956, pp. 16–17.
114 Andrzej Sarnacki, S.J.

of constructive and destructive forces in known civilizations. The common

pattern of events suggests that social and political anarchy has been al-
ways paired with sexual anarchy. This regularity is not that new, as it might
be thought. The morals of a  society decline when its ethical imperatives
and codes become regarded as irrelevant and relative, and changeable at
will for any particular interest or desire. Within this framework the values
of womanhood and manhood, the concepts of motherhood, fatherhood,
marriage and family become a kind of ornamentations, regarded as igno-
ble and obsolete.21 The same applies to the concept of honour, religion or
politics.
According to Sorokin, all historical disturbances and riots are the con-
sequence of sexual anarchy.

. . . evidence from almost every important revolution and social disturbance

from the oldest Egyptian upheaval c. 2500 B.C. to the present time show the
close connection between sexual and sociopolitical revolutions.22

This is due to the revolutionary deconstruction of an existing system of

values, institutions and order. The upper classes usually have their leading
role in moral disintegration preceding events. These signs of decadence are
known from all down-hill periods of Assyrian, Babylonian, Chalcedonian,
Chinese, Cretan, Egyptian, Etruscan, Hellenistic, Roman or Russian history.
The same pattern could be found in European history, such as in the Dutch
Revolt of 1663 with its brutality and outburst of sexual activity, in the pe-
riod of Italian Renaissance’s sexualization, or in the French Revolution pro-
claiming divorce laws, lowering the age of marriage to 13 for girls and 15
for boys, with the consequences of the skyrocketing of babies born out
of wedlock and abandoned, the rise of the number of prostitutes, orgies,
debauchery and an acceptance of scandalous behaviour among children.23
Similar manifestations may be found in France, Austria and Germany dur-
ing the disturbances in the 19th century.
A rise of the significance of sexuality always has led to an increase in di-
vorce, premarital and extramarital sex being regarded as normal, marriage
being viewed as a “social burden”, to the rule of sensualism, licentiousness,

21
 Ibid., p. 89.
22
 Ibid., p. 102.
23
 Ibid., pp. 100–101.
 THE DECAY OF AMERICAN CULTURE? PITIRIM SOROKIN’S VIEW . . . 115

depravity, hedonism, sadism, as well as to decreasing birth rates, thus de-

population. It brings demoralization and a rapid change in one’s life-style
that becomes hedonistic. There will be trends towards the emancipation
and masculinization of women, the effemination of men, a dissolving of the
sacredness and inviolability of marriage together with growing irreligiosity,
vulgar sensualist ethics, prostitution, and a  growing social sense of enti-
tlement and passive expectation that the state will provide. When house-
wives become liberated, their preoccupation will be love affairs. Even the
change of clothes from discreet to revealing, from modest to immodest
will become common.24 The change in sexual behaviour has a  significant
impact on the arousal of sexual appetite, on one’s philosophical and moral
outlook, as well as on one’s aesthetic, social, scientific or religious beliefs.25
That proliferation of sexualization goes in parallel with the shift of oth-
er norms and attitudes characteristic to secularization. What was once re-
garded as demoralising now stands for progress and freedom. In the arts,
the main focus is transferred from standard, normal daily activities, to the
subnormal, abnormal, pathological, as well as emotionally and mentally
deranged phenomena. Love, once pure and noble, has become portrayed
as perverse, vulgar, exotic or brutal. Writers or film directors have been
paying tribute to sex in its ever more vivid expressions, mingled with psy-
choanalytical interpretations. In addition, the arts have become shifted
from the religious and ascetic to the erotic and obscene. Song lyrics have
become erotically charged to an enormous degree, and are played in night
clubs intoxicated by an alcoholic-saturated atmosphere.26
All spheres, including social science, are invaded by sexuality. There
is observable sex-mindedness in psychology, sociology, anthropology and
other disciplines, which Sorokin disregard as producing

swaddling and toilet-training philosophies of history, according to which the

manner of tending infants is the decisive factor which determines the culture,
institutions and destiny of peoples and nations.27

24
 Ibid., p. 95.
25
 Ibid., p. 15.
26
 Ibid., pp. 21–37.
27
 Ibid., p. 40.
116 Andrzej Sarnacki, S.J.

The Freudian pleasure principle and sex drive embodied by groups

of psychoanalysts and psychiatrists have replaced the old faith in good
and bad spirits affecting every human being. Sorokin also anticipates the
plan of early sexual education for children, and the growth of hedonistic,
warmly approved ethics in many religious denominations. This produces
a  religious schizophrenia, blurring previously accepted boundaries. The
shallowness of new constructs is adopted and carried on by “sophisticat-
ed barbarians”, and “the open-minded and empty-minded midgets of the
professions”.28 Sorokin disregards the opinion purportedly that a  sexually
free society is healthier and happier than one which is restrictive, as unsci-
entific.29 He sees no evidence that the lifting of the posit that suppression
of libido relieves negative tension, thus providing healthier and mentally
more stable society. On the contrary, the statistics confirm a proliferation
of neuroses and psychoses, as well as an impairment of cognitive, intel-
lectual processes. The excessive pursuit of sexual pleasure causes an in-
ner chaos and moral deterioration, and pushes one towards a violation of
moral imperatives.
Sorokin sees a sex-obsessed society as sex-diseased, which diminishes
its ability to make sacrifices and to deal with problems, such as defence
and survival. Its lot can be compared to the history of many royal, aristo-
cratic families, whose loss of leadership and biological extinction was due
to debauchery followed by sterility.30 This moral shift radically diminishes
the creative capacity of a society and its vitality. Its spread is already a sign
of the illness of its condition, as a  revolution can “conquer only govern-
ments and groups already debilitated and demoralized through their own
deeds.”31 Contrary to widespread convictions, Sorokin claims that “civilized
societies which have most strictly limited sexual freedom have developed
the highest cultures.”32 When its moral codes lose their validity, a decline
happens within three generations.
Christianity on the other hand, is anti-materialistic, anti-sensualistic
and anti-erotic system of values, guarded by commandments, and curbing

28
 Ibid., p. 53.
29
 Ibid., p. 65.
30
 Ibid., p. 79.
31
 Ibid., p. 104.
32
 Ibid., p. 111.
 THE DECAY OF AMERICAN CULTURE? PITIRIM SOROKIN’S VIEW . . . 117

the prevailing sexual anarchy.33 Marriage brings an important self-fulfil-

ment for a  person, which includes existential and civic maturity and re-
sponsibility. This is why in all societies the marital bond has a high status
and the condition of the survival of all. Among many, it enables people to
deal with differences of the other person that lowers one’s level of selfish-
ness. As such, Christianity in times of sexual anarchy becomes the target
of all criticism. Sexual continence (word that does not exist in many dictio­
naries), chastity or faithfulness, become viewed as oddities or ossified sur-
vivals of a prehistoric age. They are often portrayed as morally reprehensi-
ble, unscientific, and stupid, hence ridiculed and stigmatised.34

THE CONSEQUENCES OF THE SEXUAL REVOLUTION

A revolution changes the power structure at the level of both government

and citizens. The transformation of the 1960s and 1970s became a pivotal
point of the new course of Western culture. The appearance of the con-
traceptive pill on the market has taken away social censorship. Unwanted
pregnancy, together with the legalization of abortion, quickly found a wide
interest. As Bailey puts it, “the birth control pill was central to the be-
havioral and cultural changes that make up what we still call the sexual
revolution.”35 Premarital sex, divorce, abortion, contraception, early sexual
initiation, the promotion of homosexuality, extra- and premarital sex,
pared by declining birth rates have become examples of the sexualization
of all spheres. As a part of general individualization, it has brought a differ-
ent image of family, increased the content of eroticism in movies, news-
papers, books, TV shows, song lyrics, commercials, and the popular press.
Sorokin, in his critical and negative view on this upcoming change,
objects to its focus on sex, on sexual obsession regarding every aspect of
life, on the treatment of sexual misconduct as normal, acceptable, extol-
ling promiscuity, monogamous marriage as obsolete and culturally relative.
Once Victorian society lost its social control of sexual life, it demoralised

33
 Ibid., p. 97.
34
 Ibid., p. 44.
35
 B. Bailey, “Prescribing the pill: politics, culture, and the sexual revolution in Amer-
ica’s heartland”, Journal of Social History, vol. 30, no. 4 (1997), p. 827.
118 Andrzej Sarnacki, S.J.

the ruling class and introduced to politics liars, double-crossers, and trans-
gressors, unable to be loyal to constitutions.

Still greater has been the deterioration of the family as a union of parents and
children, with “fluid marriages” producing a super-abundance of the physical-
ly, morally, and mentally defective children, or no children at all.36

As already mentioned, Sorokin has no doubts that the development

is a  harmful one, firstly, in its creative élan. Sexual profligates lose their
sensitivity, self-discipline, sense of purpose, or ability to sacrifice, to com-
mit themselves to social demands, and so become incapable of sustainable
effort. Instead they extol irresponsible and hedonistic lifestyle that con-
tributes very little, if at all, to society. Sexual obsession diminishes creative
potential of any given society and devitalises it, eventually also in its eco-
nomic realm. Regarding scientists, uncritical of this development, Sorokin
has a harsh opinion:

We live in an era of learned intellectual “contractors” who can build philo-

sophical motels but are incapable of constructing Parthenons or cathedrals.37

They produce hardly any works of lasting significance.

From the perspective of half a  century, one may admit that Sorokin
was right in many aspects. In the meantime, sex and pornography became
a business commodity, having an enormous impact on media, school edu-
cation, arts or language. Words like “faithfulness”, “chastity” and “sexual
continence” have become regarded as suspicious, archaic, and irrelevant.
Partnership and free love have replaced promiscuity, when certain expres-
sions have tamed sexual behaviour like “friends with benefits”, or sex with-
out obligations/commitment. The rejection of procreation and use of con-
traception have become planned and responsible parenthood. The only
valid and recognised science is the one with positive attitude towards so-
cial and cultural sexual transformation. Sexual mores have become pared
with positive images of anti-war and pro-peace movements, human rights,
especially women’s rights, challenging an oppressive system.

 P. Sorokin, The American . . ., p. 132.

36

 Ibid., p. 144.
37
 THE DECAY OF AMERICAN CULTURE? PITIRIM SOROKIN’S VIEW . . . 119

It is no surprise that 60 years later the attitude of Sorokin would be

vastly questioned, and to a  much smaller extent supported. As a  repre-
sentative of the former we could mention Nancy L. Cohen and her book
Delirium: How the Counterrevolution is Polarizing America.38 The sugges-
tive title declares upfront that the blame of the current social tension is on
a Christian countermovement that contradicts the achievements of greater
sexual freedom. The already classic narrative sees gay marriage, birth con-
trol or abortion as rights and the climax of human freedom. In a too-well-
known tone, she depicts their opponents as sex-obsessed defenders of ig-
norance and backwardness.
On the opposite side of the minority that defends traditional values,
one could pay attention to the work of German sociologist Gabriele Kuby.
In her book The Global Sexual Revolution: Destruction of Freedom in the
Name of Freedom, she holds a view similar to that of Sorokin.39 The sexual
revolution has changed the metaphysical context of norms, introducing
confusion and disorder. Moreover, it is not just a natural development but
an imposition of powerful agencies that enforce law and social censure.
The important observation of Sorokin, worthy of further studies
says that the sex factor is one of the most important causes of the so-
cial development or quiet decay.40 When taking too much space in the
social and mental spheres, it becomes a  destructive force to all other
spheres, and the decline could be irreversible. Sorokin declares that most
people and leaders of decaying societies were unaware of their cancerous
sickness.41 When talking about the inevitability of consequences, he thinks
that it is possible to change the course of events. However, when sexual
debauchery becomes deeply ingrained in culture and institutions, it may
be too late to stop the catastrophic drift:

The problem is no longer whether or not mankind has been declining. The
problem now is whether mankind will take the last final step in this suicidal
course.42

38
 N.L. Cohen, Delirium: how the Counterrevolution is Polarizing America, Berkeley
2012.
39
 G. Kuby, The Global Sexual Revolution: Destruction of Freedom in the Name of
Freedom, Kettering 2015.
40
 P. Sorokin, The American . . ., p. 120.
41
 Ibid., p. 151.
42
 Ibid., p. 147.
120 Andrzej Sarnacki, S.J.

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